Chapter 3: When the Alpha Freezes
1247 Words
Chapter 3: When the Alpha Freezes
POV: Rhea Grey
"You won't tell anyone about this."
The words fall on me like frost.
I slowly lift my head, my hands still covering my mouth, and my chest hurts because my heart is trying to get out. He is tall and still, standing a few steps away. His shadow cuts the night in half. The torchlight makes his silver eyes look hard and far away, which is nothing like the pull screaming inside me.
I nod.
That's all I can do.
"Yes, Alpha," I say quietly.
The word doesn't taste right to me.
He looks at me for a long time. Not how a man looks at a woman. Like a judge looks at a crime. His jaw gets tighter. He looks at the doors of the great hall for a second, then back at me.
“You will come back,” he says. “You will stand where you belong. And you will forget this happened.”
Forget.
My chest tightens again, but I nod. Once more. It is easy to obey. Years of survival have carved it into me.
Without saying anything else, he turns away.
The smell pulls at me as he leaves, stretching something inside my ribs until it hurts. I breathe through the dirt by curling my fingers into it. I make myself stand up when the pain goes away.
My legs shake, but they stay strong.
I go back inside with him.
The great hall is louder now, full of restless energy. As we walk in, people turn and look at me, then look back at the Alpha. As he walks toward the front, a hush spreads out.
He stops.
In the middle of the hall.
The sound goes away like a candle being blown out.
I freeze too, with my breath halfway in. Every instinct tells me to run, but I can't find a place to go. I stay close to the wall, my head down and my heart racing.
The Alpha stays still.
Seconds stretch. Then more.
The elders stare at him, not sure what to do. One coughs. "Alpha Dorian?"
No answer.
He stands there with his shoulders squared and his hands clenched at his sides. His face looks like it's made of stone. It's like a string pulled too far that makes the bond inside me stronger.
People shift. Murmurs rise and fall.
"What's wrong?"
"Why did he stop?"
Vivienne moves closer to him. In the light of the torch, her white dress shines, perfect and untouched. She looks at his face and tilts her head to follow his gaze.
Directly to me.
Her eyes narrow.
Cold runs down my back.
She says softly, "Dorian," and brushes his arm with her hand.
The touch breaks something.
The Alpha breathes in sharply, as if he has just come up from deep water. He looks away from me and at Vivienne. The bond screams in protest, and a sudden, hot pain blooms in my chest.
I bit my lip to keep from screaming.
He straightens up, his expression locking back into place. “Continue,” he says to the elder, his voice steady again.
The hall is filled with relief. The tension loosens. People settle.
Vivienne, on the other hand, keeps looking at me.
I shrink further into myself, wishing the stone would open up and swallow me whole.
The elder lifts his staff again. "The Mate Ceremony will begin at dawn tomorrow." Until then, all pack members are dismissed.”
A wave of voices breaks out. Chairs scrape. Laughter returns, forced and unsure. The hall fills again with sound.
I turn to leave while I still can.
"Rhea."
My name makes me stop in my tracks.
I turn.
Kale is a few steps away, and his brow is furrowed with worry. His dark eyes look for something in my face that is soft and familiar. Safe.
He says, "There you are." "I was looking for you." You ran off.
“I—” My voice wobbles. I swallow. “I wasn’t feeling well.”
He steps closer. "You scared me."
The words take something away from me. My eyes are watery. I quickly shake my head to try to clear them.
“I’m fine now,” I lie.
He reaches out, his hand brushing my arm.
Nothing happens.
No warmth. No spark. No pull.
Just skin on skin.
I can feel it right away. The wrongness of it. The space that should be filled with something.
Kale feels it too.
His hand stops moving. His smile goes away, and confusion takes its place. He pulls back a little and looks at his fingers as if they have betrayed him.
"That's strange," he says quietly.
My heart sinks.
"What is?" I ask, even though I already know.
He laughs softly, trying to ignore it. "I thought—" He stops. He shakes his head. "Don't worry about it." Are you sure you're all right?
I nod too quickly. "Yes." I should go back to my mom.
He thinks for a moment and then nods. "I'll walk you."
We walk together toward the doors. I can feel eyes on my back. Vivienne’s. The Alpha’s.
I don't look at either of them.
The hallway outside feels colder. Less noise. My footsteps sound like Kale's. He keeps looking at me, as if he's trying to read something that's written on my skin.
"Rhea," he says softly, "if something's wrong—"
"I'm just tired," I say quickly. "It's been a long day."
He stops moving.
I stop too.
He asks, "Did something happen in there?"
I shake my head. "No."
The lie sits heavy between us.
He looks at my face for a long time before sighing. "Okay. But you know where to find me if you need me.
I nod, feeling both grateful and ashamed at the same time.
He gives my shoulder a squeeze and then walks away.
I watch him leave, and my heart hurts in a different way.
When I get to my room, my mom is already asleep. Her breathing is slow and steady. I sit on the edge of the bed and hold her hand, putting my forehead on her knuckles.
"I'm sorry," I say quietly, but I don't know why.
I can't sleep.
I see silver eyes and feel the pull get stronger every time I close my eyes.
Outside the door, footsteps can be heard hours later.
I get stiff.
Then there is a knock. Controlled .
I open the door a little bit.
The Alpha stands there, his presence filling the narrow space. He does not step inside.
“Tomorrow,” he says quietly, “you will attend the ceremony. You will stand where you are told to. You won't say nothing.”
My throat feels tight. "Yes, Alpha."
His eyes dart past me to my mother, who is sleeping. Something that can't be read crosses his face.
“If you disobey,” he continues, “the consequences will be severe.”
I nod.
He turns to leave, but then he stops.
"This bond," he says in a low voice, "will not change my path."
The words hit home.
He leaves without waiting for me to answer.
I shut the door and slide down it, putting my fists on my chest as the pain comes back.
The Moon rises higher outside.
And somewhere on the estate, a truth is waiting to tear us all apart.
- Writer
